In a content-oriented network (CON), a content-centric network (CCN), an information-centric network (ICN), which collectively may be referred to as named-data networks (NDNs), a content router is responsible for routing user requests and content to proper recipients. In the NDN, a domain-wide unique name is assigned to each entity that is part of a content delivery framework. The entities may comprise data content, such as video clips or web pages, and/or infrastructure elements, such as routers, switches, or servers. The content router uses name prefixes, which can be full content names or proper prefixes of content names instead of network addresses, to route content packets within the content network. In NDNs, content delivery including publishing, requesting, managing (e.g., signature, verification, modification, deletion, etc.) may be based on content name and not content location. One aspect of NDNs that may be different from traditional Internet Protocol (IP) networks is the ability of NDNs to interconnect multiple geographical points and cache content temporarily or store content on a more persistent basis. This may allow content to be served from the network instead of an original server, and thus may substantially improve user experience. The caching/storing may be used for real time data that is fetched by the user or for persistent data that belongs to the user or to a content provider, e.g., a third party provider.
A forecast from Cisco Visual Networking Index shows that in 2015, the Internet will deliver 7.3 petabytes of movies every 5 minutes. However, the Internet was designed based on a host-to-host model, not for content delivery which requires support of one-to-many and many-to-many delivery. Moreover, an IP network has limited support for functions mobility, and security. Often, the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) session gets timed-out when the device is mobile and undergoes a handoff. The service interruption occurs either due to a change in the IP address or issues such as network congestion. Furthermore, the forecast from Cisco shows that the traffic from wireless devices accessing the Internet will exceed the traffic from wired devices by the year 2015.
It should be noted that for purposes of this disclosure, the terms, CON, CCN, ICN, and NDN may be used interchangeably since the disclosed methods, systems, and apparatuses may be applied and incorporated into each.